An Occurrence in Detention
by Elle-Vee16
Summary: Lyric Marie St. Germaine knows things she shouldn't. How will Professor Snape react to her incessant personal questions? No real pairing; hints of Severus/Lily
1. A Bit About Lyric

Lyric Marie St. Germaine was one of those people who had the strange ability to know things they shouldn't. It was a curious trait, but nonetheless a trying one. Poor Lyric was a bit tactless in displaying it, for she was always asking awkward questions or bringing up things you could have sworn you never told anyone. This was especially true with teachers: Lyric's thirst for knowledge about the professors' pasts and personal lives seemed unquenchable.

In general, Lyric was a bit of an oddball. A Muggle-born girl, she was eager to learn everything she could. However, she was dreadful at nearly all of her classes (save Divination). Her first year, the Sorting Hat had placed her in Hufflepuff, but there was always a side of her personality that would make one think she belonged in an entirely different house-she was bold, and noble, like a Gryffindor; very clever, such as with Ravenclaw (although her marks never showed it); and incredibly cunning, like a Slytherin. She often joked that the Sorting Hat had been so confused as to where to put her that he just tossed her into Hufflepuff to have done with it.

Other than when she was asking a teacher some outlandish question, Lyric didn't attract much attention. She was rather plain, but not necessarily ugly-she had mousy brown hair that was cut short, like a boy's, with light brown eyes and very fair skin. With nothing remarkably gorgeous about her, she hadn't caught the attention of many of the boys in her year (or any other, for that matter). However, this didn't seem to faze Lyric in the slightest.

When Lyric entered her sixth year at Hogwarts, she had only scraped three O.W.L.s, in Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Potions. She began preparing for her N.E.W.T.s, all the while asking the same terribly uncomfortable questions ("Professor Hagrid, seeing as your mum was a giantess, how would she and your father have been able to make you?" "Professor McGonagall, whatever happened to Mister McGonagall?").

Perhaps her worst victim, though, was Professor Severus Snape.


	2. The Events of this Particular Detention

It was a day like any other for Severus Snape. Hand back essays with failing marks, sneer at Potter in the corridors, look in disdain at Longbottom's dismal potions, reward points to Slytherin, ignore Hermione Granger when her hand was raised, and take points from Gryffindor for whatever suited his fancy. After all, a day where Potter looked too happy was a day wasted in Severus's opinion. He had the boy so angry at the end of the lesson that he was just begging for a detention.

Now, the dungeon was filled with sixth year students, both in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Severus lazily flicked his wand at the blackboard, where a list of ingredients and instructions appeared, telling the students how to successfully brew an invisibility potion. Indeed, fifteen minutes of class had gone by when the door opened and Lyric Marie St. Germaine rushed inside, her bag bumping against her hip.

"Sorry!" Lyric exclaimed breathlessly. "I was nearly here when I realised I forgot my Transfiguration textbook! So I had to...run back...and get it..." Catching Severus's eye, she trailed off, her cheeks flushing.

"Miss St. Germaine," Severus said, his voice taking on that dead sort of calm, "this is the third time you've been late to my class this week. Detention, tonight at seven-thirty sharp." He turned away from her, and heard the girl slink over to her desk and begin brewing her potion.

The rest of the day continued on as Severus could very well have predicted; it was the same thing every day at Hogwarts unless he was doing something for the Order. By seven-thirty, he had forgotten about his scheduled detention, and it wasn't until seven forty-five, when Lyric came bursting into his classroom, that he remembered.

"Late for your own detention?" He sneered at the blushing girl. He gestured for her to sit; she hastily obliged. Severus supposed that he would just keep her a bit longer than he had originally intended, to make up for the lost time. He pointed his wand at large cauldron nearby, thought_ locomotor cauldron_, and watched as it floated over to where Lyric was sitting. "You will be cleaning the rust off of the interior and bottom of this cauldron. No magic." He didn't bother telling her how to do it, but saw her poking around looking for something to use. Watching her curiously, Severus saw her find a small sponge and transfigure it into steel. Trusting that she would set to work, Severus turned to a stack of essays from the third years he had been grading.

Five minutes of silence went by when Lyric spoke, addressing Severus. "You know, Professor," she said, "it's not like I _enjoy_ being late to your classes-I can't help it most days."

Severus merely grunted, having only barely heard what she said. Apparently, Lyric took this as a sign to keep talking.

"I do love your subject, Professor, and I only wish to get to know you better...to be honest, I was rather looking forward to this detention. I think it's important to know all of your professors quite well, you know?"

Severus didn't say anything, only bent lower to the parchment to further concentrate on the scribblings of a third-year.

"Since we're not technically in class, and it's just us, do you mind if I call you 'Severus'?" Lyric asked innocently. This caught Severus's attention. He looked up and positively glared at her, but amazingly she didn't flinch under his gaze.

"Yes, St. Germaine, I do mind," he said curtly. "Get back to work."

"Right, sorry." Severus heard the continued scraping of steel on iron, mixing with the scratching of his quill on the parchment. After a minute or two, he heard that Lyric had paused again.

"What about 'Sev'?" She asked. Severus tensed.

"Especially not 'Sev'," he hissed. Lyric shrugged and wen't back to work. Severus's heart was now beating rather quickly, and he found it difficult to read the next essay in front of him. He read the first sentence over and over, and yet couldn't comprehend a word of it. Sev. No one had even dreamed of calling him Sev since.._.her._

Severus mentally shook himself. No, no, he wasn't going to think about her today. It was bad enough seeing her eyes several times a week in the face of the man he loathed; thinking about her would just about do him in. Still...he couldn't help allowing his mind to wander a bit. It had been years since he allowed himself to imagine what could have been, but the feeling of guilt and overwhelming melancholy that followed made it not even worth opening that particular part of his mind and heart.

His eyes glanced up at Lyric for a split second, and he saw that she was looking curiously at him. Then, she spoke, shocking Severus enough to make him nearly fall out of his chair.

"Do you miss her?"

An innocent enough question, but one that made Severus's mind race. He stared at her, brow furrowed, and she stared back. It was as if she had read his mind-impossible! Severus knew as well as anyone that the mind was not an open book, and even if it was, Severus was skilled enough in Occlumency to hide his thoughts from any Legilimens. Which, of course, he doubted Lyric was.

Lyric repeated her question. "Do you miss her?"

Severus could only sneer at her, although it was a weak attempt. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do," Lyric replied earnestly. "I can tell, just from the look on your face!"

Severus tried to compose his expression into a blank one. He was not going to have this conversation with anyone, especially not a student! It was inappropriate and...well, for him, it was dangerous territory.

"What was her name?" Lyric asked, "Was she beautiful?"

Severus's mouth was very dry. "I told you," he all but whispered, "that I have no idea what you're talking about. Drop the subject. Ten points from Hufflepuff." With that said, he went back to marking his essays a bit more vigourously than necessary. However, Lyric didn't seem to want to drop the subject, and the lost points from Hufflepuff didn't seem to shake her one bit.

"It's just, you seem like one of those men who loved a girl in the past-d'you know what I mean? Loved her with everything you had, but somehow inexplicably lost her to another, without her ever knowing how you truly felt...you just come off as that sort of person."

How was it possible that she knew? This was no mere guesswork, someone, somehow, must have tipped her off-but that was impossible! The only person who knew how much Severus had loved, and still loved, Lily Evans was Dumbledore, who was sworn to secrecy. Severus knew that Dumbledore would never betray him. The only other people who could have guessed-and_ only_ guessed; Severus still found it quite unlikely-were Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, both of whom Lyric would have no way to talk to. For a moment, Severus's heart dropped in fear-maybe she _could_ read minds.

Unfortunately for him, Lyric seemed to be taking Severus's silence for confirmation. He felt sickened when she let out an excited, girlish squeal.

"Ooh! I knew it!" She exclaimed. "Oh, Professor Snape, please tell me about her! Was she in Hogwarts too? What did she look like? What was her name?"

At the same time, Severus seemed to have found his voice and was speaking rapidly as she was. "I'll not have this sort of conversation with a student-no, enough, St. Germaine, twenty points from Hufflepuff-Lily!"

Lyric was silent right away, and was staring at Severus, her face positively glowing. At first, Severus had no idea why, but then he realised-he had given Lyric a vital piece of information. Her name. He had said her name...in a strange way, it was somewhat peace-bringing, for that name had not graced his lips in many a year, and to acknowledge the fact that he loved Lily out loud made it seem as if he were doing some sort of kindness to her memory.

"Lily," Lyric breathed. "Oh, Professor, she had a lovely name...do you still love her?"

_Yes, stupid girl_, Severus thought, _of course I still love her!_ Always... He couldn't take this anymore. He stood, hands gripping the desk so firmly his knuckles went white. Slowly, he walked to the girl at the cauldron, his face a blank mask hiding the fury and longing that was tearing at his soul.

"You may go," Severus said, his face inches from hers. "Detention served. And if I ever hear the name 'Lily' on your tongue then you will wish you had never been born. There are rules at Hogwarts about ways a teacher may not punish a student, but so help me, I will see to it that they are bent if you so much as whisper anything about tonight. Understand?" He barked the last part at her, feeling satisfaction at the small and fearful nod that she gave.

"Out."

She didn't need telling twice. Within moments Lyric's bag was around her shoulder and she was at the door. Severus had his back turned, and he was standing very still with his eyes shut tight and his fist pressed against his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Professor," he heard her say quietly. "It must be difficult knowing what could have been."

Severus took a shaking breath. He couldn't even tell her to get out again, for fear that instead he might give in to grief. However, he didn't need to, for he could hear her footsteps growing fainter as she departed. Finally finding the courage to move, he retreated to his office and slammed the door behind him, sinking into his chair and burying his burning face into his cold hands.

One thing was for sure. Severus was never going to give Lyric Marie St. Germaine a detention ever again.


End file.
